Ok, I'll get it started this year. Glad to see my Rammies picking up some offensive to help Sam Bradford in Jared Cook and I'm hoping we grab Jake Long tomorrow. Sad to see Danny Amendola leave us for the Patriots.

But the big news is the Patriots losing Welker to the Broncos. I think Belichek's arrogance has finally caught up with him on this move. I'm a big fan of Danny Amendola, but he's a bit more fragile than Welker and I just don't see him having the same success. However, I am looking forward to the next Broncos/Patriots match up!!

I am very happy 49ers getting Boldin. I am very interested in how the Goldston loss is going to effect the D. It will be interesting if the niners pick up a veteran safety or go through the draft. I wouldn't be surpised to to see them lay low and just use the draft picks they have to fill the depth. Still a rookie starting safety on a super bowl contending team could be scary.

But in the end it doesn't matter because Kap is going to be the MVP of the league.

I am very happy 49ers getting Boldin. I am very interested in how the Goldston loss is going to effect the D. It will be interesting if the niners pick up a veteran safety or go through the draft. I wouldn't be surpised to to see them lay low and just use the draft picks they have to fill the depth. Still a rookie starting safety on a super bowl contending team could be scary.

But in the end it doesn't matter because Kap is going to be the MVP of the league.

9ers will be signing Nnamdi today in addition to Ed Reed or Woodson today or tomorrow. Either of those two will hold down the safety spot for a year or two until a new rook is ready to take over. The secondary will be better next year. I like Goldson, but he was a liability in coverage just like Whitner and certainly wan't worth the $8m/year TB gave him

I think the seahawks paid waaay too much for Percy; he was great, but the temperament / injury history seems like a wildcard.

9ers hit a home run with Boldin for a 6th rounder.... not to mention if they keep chasing Revis and Woodson, not sure if they're going for both or one of the two... either way, with the loss of Goldson, that will help big time.

Wow... young thread... months before the start of the season... and it's wall-to-wall nonsense already. I love it!

My thoughts/guesses so far:

Dave's right... Welker to Denver is crazy news. As a long time Pats hater, this made me laugh. Big mistake on their side. Manning will use him like crazy until the playoffs... where Peyton will choke as usual.

Glad to see Leon Washington land with another team so quickly. HATE that it's NE. Especially this season, since they may not even make the playoffs... even though they're division is a joke.

Nnamdi goes to the Saints. Early news today is that his meeting with the 9ers went well, but I have a feeling NO is gonna scoop him up. 9ers end up with Woodson. Good pickup in Boldin, but they're an old team getting older. This year may be the last chance for them.

Kaep won't come near MVP of the league. Strong young player, fast as all heck... but no chance at MVP. (Not to mention he appears to be an incredible douche.)

While I agree that hype for any team this time of year is definitely NOT a good thing, the Seahawks will prove that wrong. The front office is making some great moves so far and they're not even to the draft yet. The team is young and hungry and this season is gonna be amazing.

2 and 6 on the road??!? Please. They won't lose 6 games all season.

And please guys... Seachickens? No one in Seattle even feels insulted by it. C'mon. You're better than that.

Mike, you also think the Hawks are going to beat their division rivals too, huh? Sweet!!! Way to jump on the bandwagon! I highly doubt they lose 5 games on the road next year. Also, can't wait to see what the Hawks look like when they eventually reach their prime in what, like 2 more years? Dang, SUCKS for everyone else!!!

Oh man my Seahawks are looking good already!! The number 1 defense in the league last year just got that much better with Bennet and Avril. I can't wait to head to Candlestick wearing my blue and green this year.

Wes Welker is an awesome pickup but don't forget about Cromartie. If we had him helping Champ out last season then maybe Flacco wouldn't have been able to air out all those long TD passes. Lost Elvis though.

Wow... young thread... months before the start of the season... and it's wall-to-wall nonsense already. I love it!

My thoughts/guesses so far:

Dave's right... Welker to Denver is crazy news. As a long time Pats hater, this made me laugh. Big mistake on their side. Manning will use him like crazy until the playoffs... where Peyton will choke as usual.

Glad to see Leon Washington land with another team so quickly. HATE that it's NE. Especially this season, since they may not even make the playoffs... even though they're division is a joke.

Nnamdi goes to the Saints. Early news today is that his meeting with the 9ers went well, but I have a feeling NO is gonna scoop him up. 9ers end up with Woodson. Good pickup in Boldin, but they're an old team getting older. This year may be the last chance for them.

Kaep won't come near MVP of the league. Strong young player, fast as all heck... but no chance at MVP. (Not to mention he appears to be an incredible douche.)

While I agree that hype for any team this time of year is definitely NOT a good thing, the Seahawks will prove that wrong. The front office is making some great moves so far and they're not even to the draft yet. The team is young and hungry and this season is gonna be amazing.

2 and 6 on the road??!? Please. They won't lose 6 games all season.

And please guys... Seachickens? No one in Seattle even feels insulted by it. C'mon. You're better than that.

9ers hit a home run with Boldin for a 6th rounder.... not to mention if they keep chasing Revis and Woodson, not sure if they're going for both or one of the two... either way, with the loss of Goldson, that will help big time.

Too funny that instead of Revis and/or Woodson they signed the Rams worst player from last year, Craig Dahl. I was happy to see him go, but to see him show up in San Fran just sweetens the pot!!

Dave,
I wouldn't get too excited from reports here he is signed as a back up plan and special teams player. I still wouldn't be surprised to see nnamdi and Woodson still Rollin for the red and gold. If not they still have 14 picks in the draft to find a safety and d line help.

Cliff this is a good debate. I want to know opinions of people who are not niners or thug fans. Who would you take Kap or Wilson. I actually really like Wilson but I don't think he has the physical tools that Kap has. He might be able to make up for that with intangibles. Should be interesting but once Kap stops play action faking to the wrong side and gets some time as the starter I think he is going to be amazing. Remember he has only started 10 games. Wilson didn't really start taking off until game 10 or so. It will be fun to see.

Dave is so fricken giddy about Fisher and co. he couldn't even wait for me to start the thread in August.

Poor fella... Ramies finally get a little talent at a time when the west has two of the most dominant teams in the NFL sitting in their division. Gonna be another year of blind enthusiasm early on only to be disappointed and left with fading thoughts of The Greatest Show on Turf running through his head... In short, Rams don't have a chance.

In my opinion, KAP should not to be underestimated. Look what he accomplished injected as an effective rookie mid-season. He performed magnificently under huge pressure/controversy. All of his mistakes can be directly attributed to being so green. Yet, his overall performance was amazing. I can't wait to see him grow as the starter and leader of the 49ers.

Actually, I think Kap was in his second year, and just never started until Smith went down last season.

Also, I really like both QB's because they are duel threat, but I think Wilson is a better decision maker then Kap. To me, Kap is run first guy, and Wilson is more of take what you give me kind of guy. Even when he is using his legs, Wilson is looking to deliver the ball.

I was NOT sold on Kap for the first few games... was upset Smith wasn't going back in, but I disagree with all of this -

Quote:

I think Wilson is a better decision maker then Kap. To me, Kap is run first guy, and Wilson is more of take what you give me kind of guy.

I think Kap does exactly what the gameplan call for.... Against Green Bay they said "You're running - get ready".... so then against Atlanta the Falcons prepared hard for that and SF told him, "You're passing - get ready" .... and he did. Also looking at his running tenancies, I think they're much different than other running QBs... he is very good at sliding / going out of bounds and not getting hammered for an extra 2 yards. I can only think of one hard hit he took running all year.

Kap's arm is insane too... he has a release that is so quick and the ball comes out at an insane speed.... honestly with no wind up he is putting the ball 40+ yars in the air. His ability to bounce back seems impressive too... The GB game make me hang my head after that first INT, but boy did he turn it around. He always seems very composed and calm.

I was not sold on him, but seriously he has earned his spot as a starter.

If you think Kap is a run first QB you haven't seen the 9ers play much

He runs on designed runs I'll give you that.... but honestly I think he is just going off the game plan.

Packers was run run run, but I think it was designed that way.

Atlanta he didn't run at all, I think by design.

... the plays he takes off on, guys like Vick or RG3 would have started down field far before he did.... Most (not designed) runs I see him go on, he spends at least 5 seconds in the pocket / rolling....

Wilson over Kap all day every day and for me is not even close. Wilson is more intelligent and humble enough to keep working hard. Kap will stay believing his own hype this year and fall off. Seattle is no dream team, they're everyone one they plays nightmare

I could see Kap having a Cam Newton type 2nd season. He isn't as big of a douche as Kam but he is a douchy flat biller(I think it is funny that he looks exactly like I expect all people from that Sacramento to Bakersfield valley to look. Lots of tattoo's and a flat bill hat pulled way down) that likes to kiss his biceps. There is no doubt he has insane speed and a cannon of an arm. Comparing Kap to Wilson I see Wilson as having all of what Kap has but without the height. I don't see Kap having all the intangibles of Wilson. Wilson is a 100% TEAM first type player where I see Kap as a me first type guy or at the very least a look at me also type guy. I bet both have good seasons this season but I personally feel like there is a less of a chance that Wilson has a sophomore slump than Kap(junior slump I guess).

Either way both clubs are in great situations having great young QB's who don't cost much. Seattle had the youngest or one of the youngest teams in the NFL last year. After the draft it looks like they are going to get even younger. They only have 5 players on the entire team that are 30 or older.

I would expect Seattle's offense to be similar but better to what it was at the end of last season. We have an above average offensive line, one of the best RB's in the league, solid TE's, a true game changer in Percy(I am not sure most have seen his highlights but check out his "walk with me" highlights on youtube. He is insanely dangerous. He is the fastest person on the field and it isn't just in a straight line. He has great vision and what surprised me was that he was really physical. He isnt' just a finesse speed guy. He is like a cross of Steve Smith, Dante Hall and beastmode), 2 solid outside guys in Rice and Tate and one of the best young QBs in the league. IF you take the Hawks last half of last season and extrapolate the numbers over 16 games I think you will get an idea of what the offense will look like. San Fran's offense could go either way for me although I am guessing they stay about the same. They lose one aging WR and pickup another although I think Boldin is better now than when Moss came to the niners. Didn't you guys lose one of your olineman? You guys already had an elite oline so maybe you guys don't miss him, especially with all those friggen draft picks. What is scary is both of the Hawks and niners offenses could be better and top 10 in the league worthy. If that happens with the defenses these 2 teams have my god. They might explode when they play each other but only after they both murdered every other team in their way.

As for defense I would expect the Hawk defense to end up #1 in the league after their recent FA pickups. If the Hawks can finish 4th in the NFL in yards and 1st in points without a pass rush and with poor running defense from time to time they can finish 1st in both with their additions. Red Bryant had a hurt foot last year which prevented him from being the consistant run stopper from the 5 tech he was in the past. He should be healthy and should regain his previous form. the best part is with Bennett now on the team Bryant might be the 2nd best 5 tech on the team. Bennett grades out better against the run than Red did even when REd was healthy and he is miles ahead of Red in pass rush. Bennett could end up being our early down 5 tech and slide inside to 3 tech to fill Jason Jones role on passing downs. It looks like we are going to be able to resign Branch or another vet DT to play the 3 tech on running downs. Then you add in the addition of avril. Avril is someone who can be our every down LEO(clem's spot) if Clem isn't healthy by the start of the year and/or if Irvin hasn't improved against the run since last year(reports are that Irvin has gained 10 pounds of muscle). Avril at LEO means there is no or very little drop off from Clem at that spot. If Clem comes back or Irvin improves and solidifies himself as the starting LEO Avril can come in on passing downs for Red as a 2nd pass rushing DE. Another thing that it sounds like they brought Avril in was to play SAM linebacker possibly. He played linebacker at Purdue and ran a 4.51 at the combine. He is plenty fast to play the SAM position but also has the size and strength to anchor the strong side and hold the edge. With him at SAM that allows KJ to slide to MIKE and Bwags(could of easily been the winner of defensive rookie of the year) to slide to WILL. Bwags at WILL with his elite speed could make him even more productive than he was last season. You guys all know about our #1 in the league defensive backfield so no need to talk about that. When Clem comes back we could have a front 7 on passing downs that has Clem and Irvin at DE, Bennett in the middle with Mebane and Avril at SAM. Having Bennett, Avril, Irvin and Clem all on the field at once with our elite press coverage CB's spells nightmares for opposing QB's.

I do believe that San Fran and the Hawks are goign to be the 2 best teams in the NFC and 2 of the top 3 or 4 in the entire NFL.

The season is a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGGG way away.Many things can happen between now and then.Your mighty Seahawks may only be a fraction of the team they were.They will have a tougher schedule this year.Teams will be more familiar with them. The regular referee's will officiate all the games this year.The defense may not even finish top ten.Don't count your chickens.I know you've missed my insight.

Hey Brett: He isn't as big of a douche as Kam but he is a douchy flat biller(I think it is funny that he looks exactly like I expect all people from that Sacramento to Bakersfield valley to look. Lots of tattoo's and a flat bill hat pulled way down) that likes to kiss his biceps.

I don't kiss my biceps....but do live in Bakersfield and do have tattoos. What are you tryin to say?! Give me some credit however, as I'm from Seattle and love my Hawks!

Just another piece of the puzzle for the Kaep/Wilson conversation... Just saw this posted this morning:
Wilson stacks up pretty darn well against an impressive group of HOFers for his first season. I would like to see a similar breakdown for Kaep if it exists...

FWIW, I find Kaep impressive on the field, but he doesn't have the unflappable leadership qualities that Wilson has shown. I wouldn't expect a slump this season from either guy. But I will, of course, stand by Russell as the better QB overall.

Nowthen... let's see how this new RB rule treats my guys. As the hardest hitting, most dominant running team in the L, we certainly could stack up a few of those 15 yd penalties this season.

I agree that Kap looks like a tool. But his work ethic seems awesome. Plus when they asked him how he would describe last season. His quote was "not good enough" That is the kind of attitude I want from my QB. We are going to find out if Wilson is a better leader. Right now I think Kap with his skill set is going to be boarderline unstoppable.
Still interesting that Nnamdi and Woodson are out there. Can't wait to see what the Niners do with their 14 draft picks. Next year is going to be awesome with Boldin in the mix. Ready for the Seattle games now.

That chart is a joke.Most of those QB'S had awesome RB's and ran 65 to 75% of the time.Most of the QB's on that list will have been in more Superbowls than Wilson will be able to get tickets to.Kap is one up on Wilson already and he's not even on the list.Neither is Dilfer and he won a Superbowl.Your way early on your Wilson praise.

... you take those 10 games (7 reg and 3 post season) and make it a "16 game season" from the averages his stats would look somewhere along the lines of (rounded off)... and keep in mind the three post season games are against some of the "Best" teams in the league.
62% completion
3800 yards
22 TDs
8 INTs
800 rushing yars
7 rushing TDs
2 fumbles

If you took Wilson's second half of the season(it was clearly apparent that they had a big time leash on him and the offense the first half of the season) plus his playoffs, averaged those out and make it a "16 game season" Wilson's stats and record would look like:

As good as those quarterbacks are, they are going to get a bit of a rude awakening this year as teams finally have a chance to watch film of them and to game plan around them. They're going to be great quarterbacks, but the Seattle and SF fans and getting a little hysterical with their predictions.

I think the reason these 2 QBs, especially Wilson wont take a step back(or at least not much of a step back) is that both teams are really good teams who play great D and have great running attacks. Plus I think Seattle improved their offense and the weapons around Wilson. It isn't like either of these QBs is on a crappy team with a crappy oline and have to pass the ball all over the place trying to keep up with their opponent. These teams will have the luxury of playing from ahead and being able to call a very balanced attack.

Rammies need to rent out their silly little stadium to pay for the few talented players they picked up this year. We felt sorry for ya and decided to pimp the place out for a few days. The report fan issues sign was pointed out to me after relentlessly heckling a few of the home town co-workers Reminded me of the old King Dome.

No doubt. Should be interesting at least. Guy was one of the best corners in the league in Oakland when they let him do what he does best, press man on the right side. I think there were a lot of problems with the Phi defense all of which contributed to his poor play. The SF coaching staff knows what they are doing, they'll play him to his strengths. Worse comes to worse, they can cut him if he actually has lost it. He signed a $1.35 M contract with no guaranteed money. 0 risk for the 9ers.

Totally agree. Nnamdi is a super-low risk pick up for them at this point. And he'll definitely get better coaching in SF. But I think he's really overrated... and I don't see what value he really adds to that D. It's not like he's gonna come in and play Safety...

SF picks up Nnamdi and Seattle completely one ups them and picks up Winfield. While I think SF's pickup of Nnamdi is super low risk this pickup by Seattle blows it out of the water. Winfield ends up being a huge upgrade at nickel corner for the departing Trufant. Winfield fills a need for seattle while Nnamdi fills a backup role. Not to mention Winfield is actually good while Nnamdi has been one of the worst corners in the league the last 2 seasons.

Seattle is freaking killing this offseason. They have absolutely destroyed every other team so far(notice I said so far because the offseason isn't complete without the draft which I know SF has a ton of picks and can do some major damage as long as the guy drafting for them last year isn't drafting this year). Seattle's needs going into the offseason were nickel corner, pass rush DE, pass rush 3T and WR. They could use young depth at OLB, OL(especially RT) and QB. They picked up one of the top free agent pass rushing DEs in Avril, they picked up Bennett who is an upgrade over jason jones at pass rushing 3T or at 5T DE. They also picked up one of the best playmakers in the league at WR. Remember Harvin was being talked about as the MVP before he got hurt. Before you all say he is injury prone he really isn't. He was injured in the hawk game this last year but other than that he hasn't missed much time because of injury. He did miss some because of migrains but he hasn't had one in 2 years. In additon to a pass rushing 3T seattle signed a big run stuffing 3T to replace the departing Branch. This team is young and loaded. I had an NFL player today tell me they are the most talented team in the NFL. Honestly if Seattle went into next year with the exact team they had last year I think they would be likely to be a 12-4 or better team. They lost games last year early before the offense got clicking with a rookie QB. With the additions they made a good offense(the offense from the second half of the season) better and made a top 3 defense better.

I don't like being cocky and I like that the team has played as the underdog but this team is frickin stacked and with the way they draft will just be more stacked in the future. I do realize that SF has a lot of picks and if handled correctly could make some noise but as of right now SF's offseason looks like garbage compared to Seattle's. Then again every other teams offseason so far looks like crap compared to seattle. Too bad for all them the FO of Seattle is one of, if not the best drafters in the league.

Go Hawks!!!

Oh something I forgot. They made all these moves(outside of the Harvin deal) without breaking the bank and screwing them for the future. This FO kills managing a roster. With the salary cap you have to look a a few years into the future and this FO has set the team up to be able to sign their core players to long term deals, not have to restructure contracts(aka screw your future) and keep young talent coming in to compete.

As a Hawks fan, can't say it's the best one I've ever seen. Five 10:00 AM road game kickoffs... all against playoff caliber teams, a Thursday night road game... the road game in SF follows a Monday night game so one fewer day of rest/prep...

Looking over things, all the West coast teams are kinda screwed on the 10am games... Chargers, Raiders, Cards all have five of them. The 9ers only have 2.

All that said, no one said it was supposed to be easy (unless you're in Denver, their schedule is a JOKE.)

There are no 10:00 AM games in the NFL. They all start at 1:00 or later. I think you're looking at your local times (i.e. 1:00 PM game on the east coast starts at 10:00 AM on the west coast). YOU have to get up by 10:00, the players don't.

Nonsense. To the West Coast players bodies, it's still 10AM... even if local time is 1PM. (and I'm pretty sure you knew what I meant.) It's statistically proven that teams play worse at these times. Of course, it's a small gripe... but to act like it doesn't exist is a little silly.

Even though the Hawks don't have a draft pick tonight I have to watch. Can't wait to see how bad Oakland, NYJ, Arizona, Cleveland and Detroit screw the pooch. One thing I am not excited about is to see what SF does. They could make a major move up with all the draft capital they have and draft a guy like Sheldon Richardson or Tavon Austin. Besides the 2 or 3 LT's those 2 are my favorite players in the draft.